novelraw Chapter 170
Chapter 170
“Relax, it’s not getting away.”
Marlon suddenly appeared at Leon’s side as if out of nowhere, replying to Leon’s earlier grumble. He strolled casually toward the spot where the black shadow had vanished, pulled out a pitch-black dagger from his person, and plunged it into the soil.
The next moment, the dagger burrowed straight into the earth. A second later, a black shadow burst out of the ground, with the dagger right on its tail.
Before the blade could strike, Marlon flashed to the shadow’s rear and shattered it with a single punch.
The broken fragments dissolved quickly in the air, vanishing without a trace.
“Is it dead?” Leon asked.
“Dead as dead can be.” Marlon nodded.
“So… what exactly was that thing?” Leon followed up.
“A Shadow Assassin,” Marlon explained. “They’re a special branch of the Shadow People. They’re not supposed to appear in Stardew Valley, yet here one was. If you hadn’t driven it out of the water, I might never have noticed it.”
He picked up the pitch-black dagger that had fallen to the ground after losing its target. When he saw Leon eyeing it intently, Marlon’s expression didn’t change, but his hands moved fast—he slipped it away and instead pointed toward the half-transparent, sea-blue greatsword lying on the ground.“Aren’t you going to pick up your loot?”
“This counts as mine?” Leon sounded surprised, but he happily scooped it up.
“Neptune Greatsword (Level 5): 18–35 damage, speed -1, defense +2, weight +2.”
As soon as he gripped the weapon, the stats appeared before him. He froze. This Neptune Greatsword was the same one he’d heard about just yesterday.
That made Leon suspect it might be the very sword that the Sea Merman he’d accidentally reeled in had been looking for.
But what did that have to do with a Shadow Assassin—a monster that wasn’t supposed to exist in Stardew Valley and definitely not in the game Leon remembered?
“If you don’t need it, you could sell it to me. You’ve already got a Galaxy Weapon,” Marlon suggested when he saw Leon deep in thought.
“Can’t do that, Guild Master. This sword belongs to a friend—it’s lost property. I need to return it.” Leon shook his head.
“No wonder you came all the way out here at night,” Marlon said, now understanding. “But you were reckless. Shadow Assassins aren’t like the Shadow Marauders or Shadow Shamans in the mines. They’re agile, stealthy, and deadly in open spaces. Without the right preparation, you could’ve gotten yourself killed.”
“Preparation? You mean like that dagger you were using just now?” Leon’s eyes gleamed with interest. “Guild Master Marlon, what is that dagger? I’ve never seen it listed for sale in the Guild.”
“It’s called the Shadow-Seeking Black Blade. It can lock onto and pursue a monster within a certain range. Perfect for sniffing out hidden threats in unknown terrain. It’s a magical tool—rare and difficult to craft. The Guild would never sell it openly.”
“Then… could you sell me one privately?” Leon asked hopefully.
“No.” Marlon refused without hesitation. “I’ve only got this one, and I’m keeping it. This old partner has saved me from too many ambushes to give up.”
“Alright…” Leon sighed in disappointment. “Guild Master, do you know why a Shadow Assassin showed up here?”
“No idea,” Marlon shook his head.
“Then what will you do next? Report it to the Main Guild and have them investigate?”
“No need. It’s just a stray monster, not a large-scale invasion. Not worth the paperwork to recruit an investigator.” Marlon waved him off. “Besides, it’s already dead, and there’s probably not a second one nearby. Case closed.”
Leon stayed silent but inwardly scoffed at the laziness of the Pelican Town Adventurer’s Guild branch leader.
His thoughts drifted to Linus—the one who’d told him to fish here in the first place. Linus must have known about the Shadow Assassin long ago. Maybe the reason it stayed in the water was because Linus kept it there.
Why would Linus send him after something the old man could easily handle? Was it to hone his combat skills? Let him see the world a bit more?
With that curiosity burning, Leon didn’t feel like making small talk anymore. “I’ll be going then, Guild Master. You should head home and get some rest.”
“Mhm.” Marlon left without another word.
Leon didn’t waste time either. He took the Neptune Greatsword straight to Linus’s camp.
When he arrived, he saw that Linus now had two sticks instead of one—and two grilled fish to match. Clearly, the man had prepared for this.
“I knew you wouldn’t catch anything, so I brought some from my stash,” Linus chuckled, eyeing the greatsword in Leon’s hand.
“Old man, tell me honestly—were you trying to use that monster in the water to get rid of me so you could inherit Red Star Farm?” Leon flopped down opposite him with a teasing look.
Linus was stunned. He knew Leon was joking, but the remark still made his beard tremble with indignation.
“You brat! If a Shadow Assassin that I left drowning in the water for a whole day could kill you, then you should start questioning your own abilities! And I have no interest in your farm. Not everyone wants to live a life where you’re running around every single day.”
“So it really was you who dumped it in the water, huh?”
Leon, hearing Linus’s growl, confirmed his guess. “Then why didn’t you just deal with it yourself? It couldn’t have been a threat to you.”
“Because I wanted to help you build some connections.”
By now Linus had calmed down, though he was annoyed that years of self-restraint had been undone so easily by Leon’s needling. Still, he answered the question.
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